Park Day Burlington Wash
Bowmer

Title

Park Day Burlington Wash
Bowmer

Subject

Parks--Washington (State)--Skagit County--Burlington

Description

This photograph is described in the 1916 "Burlington Journal" newspaper article. The photograph depicts the workers in 1906 standing on a giant log after clearing land for a park. It is not clear whether it was Alpha Park or Maiben Park.The text of the article is below:

"Burlington's Park History

When the Town site was laid out by Roswell Skeel Jr., he reserved two double blocks containing about seven and a half acres of land for a park and eventually sold it to the city for eight hundred dollars. Largely through the influence of Mayor Howe about ten years ago, the town was induced to attempt to secure a park and $120 was paid on it.

The citizens had a park clearing day, serving dinner to volunteer workers about 1906 and an interesting picture of the workers standing on one of the big logs in the park at that time is still a valued possession of the Howe family. The balance $680 due on the park was paid in 1912.

Several families who helped at that first Park clearing were enthusiastic workers athis year at the same kind of effort. Three years ago the city council asked for bids for clearing and grading the park and found it would cost $465. But through the generosity of Mr. Christ Knutzen in donating his own tie and labor ad the use of stump pulling equipment and placing five experienced men o the job for a week, together with volunteer work by the men and boys of Burlington we have removed the stumps at a cost of only one hundred and twenty five dollars, thus saving the tax payers $340 on the job. Knutzen Bros furnished the powder for blowing the stumps at the cost. Dinner was furnished the workers free two days and a cash fund started by charging others for dinner who could not work at clearing, and hauling. Team work for grading was donated by Mr. Christ Knutzen, Mr. Robert Dwyer, Mr. Clarence Rohweder, Mr. R H. Callahan, Mr. E. F. Ragan, Mr. J.C. Emilie and Mr. Curtis Smith. The lumber for the picnic table was donated by the Butler Lumber Co and the carpenter work by Mr. R. H. Hopkins. Mr. T.J. Jennings built rustic seats and gave valuable assistance for several days. will be impossible to mention the names of all who contributed labor, cash and provisions for the dinners. It has been a splendid Community effort and the whole amount is now raised by the addition of $92.26 net receipts from the Fourth of July stand at the fairgrounds. After our big stump pile is burned this fall more work will be needed, and a great deal of volunteer labor will be available to place the park in better shape to be seeded and beautified. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." So all who have aided in any way in the past or shall contribute to it in the future will in time feel amply repaid for their trouble.